A meta-analysis of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for tyrosinase mRNA as a marker for circulating tumor cells in cutaneous melanoma.

Abstract

The lack of data on the outcome of stage I, II, and III patients who were RT-PCR positive and the low prevalence of RT-PCR positivity in patients with known stage IV disease limit the applicability of this test at this time. Ongoing and future studies on a quantitative RT-PCR, amplification of multiple melanoma-associated antigens, and use of the test as a prognostic indicator might improve the utility of this molecular serologic tool.